The Importance of Candidate Experience in Attracting Top Talent
In today’s HR world, there are a lot of buzzwords that have come with a shift in how we do business. As HR Pros, we have always focused on attracting and retaining top talent. The link between this focus and our corporate brand is critical, making the Human Resources process look and feel like a marketing function.
The CX, or Candidate Experience, is the sum of all job seekers’ interactions with your company. These experiences begin with brand messaging on social media, automated processes, clarity of the hiring process, communications, and personal interactions with your team during the interview process. Candidates want to feel valued throughout the process, even if they don’t get the job.
82% of job seekers consider employer brand and reputation before applying for a job.
From: https://financesonline.com/candidate-experience-statistics/
Creating a Great Candidate Experience
Creating a great CX includes clear communication, respect for candidates’ time, a smooth application process, and realistic expectations. If you have a strong talent acquisition strategy in place, chances are the CX is part of that plan. When reviewing all points of interaction a candidate may have with your company, look at your:
- Website
- Social media
- Job advertisements and descriptions
- Automated processes like online applications, or communications from your ATS
- Interaction with your front-desk team during an in-person interview
- Communication with your HR team
- Notifications about the candidate’s application status
An honest review of the candidate’s pain points is critical. The number 1 frustration candidates report is a lack of communication. Candidates expect acknowledgment of receipt of an application for an open position as much as they expect a dialog about the process. Candidates also want transparency about pay and benefits, and a clear hiring process timeline. Part of the TalentSource Smart Recruiting system is to assist in the flow of communication between each candidate and employer.
TalentSource Pro Tip: Gathering feedback will help you to strategically improve the Candidate Experience. Ask for feedback from candidates and those who are already part of your team. Ask what they liked and didn’t like about the process.
The Candidate Experience is an overarching first impression. How well your company brand and culture are established, and how consistent that message is throughout the recruiting process is key. For example, if part of your culture is, “a high level of communication”, and you tell a candidate they will hear from you within 5 days, and they don’t hear from you for 2 weeks – that is a “broken promise” that will lead to a negative experience and break down of a candidate’s trust in your organization. Over 70% of job seekers who have a negative experience will tell others about it (https://www.careerarc.com/lp/candidate-experience-study/).
Candidate Experience significantly influences satisfaction and job-offer acceptance rates; making continual adjustments to improve your approach will make the recruiting process smoother for everyone involved. And, according to LinkedIn, it can also impact your bottom line.
50% cost-per-hire reduction
50 % more qualified applicants
Partnering with recruiting professionals, like us here at TalentSource, is a strategic part of your Candidate Experience. We help you set realistic expectations with candidates, act as a bridge in communication, and gather valuable feedback about your recruiting process. We call it Smart Recruiting, and you can only find that here, at TalentSource. Contact us at 574.968.8676 or contact@TalentSourceStaffing.com to schedule a discovery call and find out how we will help you increase your Candidate Experience.